Picnic!

One of the best things I've ever bought at a charity auction was a picnic basket.  Technically, I've bought TWO picnic baskets--the first one was wicker and oh-so traditional looking, but not very practical.  The second looks like a piece of soft-sided luggage, but holds everything you might need for picnicking!  We like head east on Memorial Day Weekend, betting that the east side has some of the elusive sunshine that we don't often get over here (reliably, anyway) until July or so.  The hubby and I like road trips.  When I bought the first picnic basket and lugged it along on a road trip/wine tasting trip to Kelowna, BC, he thought it was a silly thing to bring along, and that we wouldn't use it.  After a stop at a gourmet grocery and a nice little picnic on the patio outside our hotel room, he changed his tune.  Now, he always asks if we're bringing it along when we head out for a few days.  This last weekend, we drove over to Pendleton, OR, then hit Walla Walla, and the Tri-Cities for some wine tasting (and buying)!  I prepared a few things to take along instead of just stopping at a grocery store and we ended up stopping at a great little park at Wallula Junction, right outside of the Tri-Cities.  I wish that I would have taken a picture--the weather was picnic perfect, we had the park practically to ourselves,and the food was terrific!

Shrimp with *homemade cocktail sauce
*Cracked pepper flatbread
White bean dip
*Baby carrots & sliced cucumbers
Asiago bread
Artichoke heart tapenade
*Pickled asparagus
Grapes
Smoked Gouda
Blue Cheese
A nice red-blend wine

* From my kitchen--watch for the recipes!